As if things weren't bad enough, the worms, hearing the commotion, once again gathered in the direction of Zhang Shi and the others. Through the mist, Zhang Shi could see some hazy blue lights approaching them, and there were quite a few of them.

Zhang Shi's heart sank, and he shouted, "Everyone, forget about the runes and crystal ball for now! The worm monsters are surrounding us again. We need to deal with the current predicament first!" Upon hearing this, everyone quickly adjusted their positions, forming a defensive circle back to back.

Zhao Feng swung his giant axe, hacking at the first approaching worm monster. Despite his fierce attacks, the small worms nimbly dodged, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Ge Dalong continuously condensed ice spikes and shot them at the swarm, but there were too many monsters. Although the ice spikes could temporarily block some of them, they could not stop their overall advance.

Huo Xiuxiu shook the bell in her hand, and the sound waves spread in all directions, interfering with the worms' movements. At the same time, she said anxiously, "This won't do. We need to think of a more thorough way."

Zhang Shi watched the approaching worms and the giant beast still attacking the water wall in the distance, his mind racing. Suddenly, he thought of the ice layer on the giant beast's body; perhaps he could use that.

"Old Ge, could you break the ice layer on the giant beast and then direct the ice fragments toward these worms?" Zhang Shi asked.

Ge Dalong's eyes lit up, and he said, "We can give it a try, but someone needs to distract the giant beast and buy me some time."

Zhao Feng stepped forward: "I'll distract it, you guys hurry up!" With that, he shouted and charged at the giant beast, his giant axe striking its head repeatedly. Enraged by Zhao Feng's provocation, the beast turned and targeted him.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ge Dalong unleashed his full magical power, shattering the ice layer on the giant beast's body. Countless sharp ice shards, under his control, shot towards the worm swarm like blades. The ice shards pierced the worms' bodies, splashing black slime, and the worms hissed in pain, their movements becoming sluggish.

"Now! Attack together!" Zhang Shi shouted. He gripped Lao Duan's sword tightly, unleashed Shadow Slash, and charged towards the worm swarm. Each swing of the sword killed several worms, and at the same time, his evil intent triggered, causing the number of shadows to increase rapidly, quickly inflicting heavy casualties on the worms.

Huo Xiuxiu also increased the shaking of the bell, and the sound waves and vortexes coordinated with the group's attacks. From time to time, she also used the Ghost Hand to interfere with the giant beast fighting Zhao Feng.

However, the worms were not completely defeated. They continued to resist stubbornly and seemed to be adjusting their tactics. Some of the worms began to flank and encircle Ge Dalong and Huo Xiuxiu.

"They're trying to distract us. Don't panic, everyone. Maintain the defensive perimeter!" Zhang Shi shouted a reminder.

Just as everyone was locked in a fierce battle, Huo Xiuxiu suddenly sensed a change in the spiritual energy fluctuations of the crystal ball. A thought struck her: could it be that the surrounding battle had triggered some kind of reaction in the crystal ball?

“Zhang Shi, I think the crystal ball might be the key. I’ll go see if I can activate it using this change. You guys hold on a little longer!” Huo Xiuxiu said.

Zhang Shi nodded and said, "Okay, go quickly, we'll do our best to hold off these monsters!"

Huo Xiuxiu rushed to the stone platform, attempting to communicate with the crystal ball again. She concentrated, adjusting the spiritual energy frequency of the bell, trying to synchronize it with the spiritual energy fluctuations of the crystal ball. Meanwhile, Zhang Shi, Zhao Feng, and Ge Dalong were struggling to hold on under the combined attack of the swarm of insects and the giant beasts. Their strength was constantly being depleted, but the number of monsters showed no signs of decreasing, seemingly endless.

Zhang Shi's eyes grew increasingly resolute, and the old Duan sword in his hand gleamed with a cold light. Each swing brought forth a shower of blood and gore. As he slashed at the ever-surging worms, he shouted, "Hold on, everyone! Miss Huo will definitely find a solution!" Sweat soaked his back, but his movements did not falter in the slightest. He secretly prayed that Huo Xiuxiu could activate the crystal ball as soon as possible.

The battle between Zhao Feng and the giant beast intensified, with the beast's attacks becoming increasingly fierce, each swing of its massive claws creating a gust of wind. Zhao Feng nimbly dodged, searching for the beast's weaknesses. His giant axe was covered in black slime, and his body was being pounded and knocked around by the beast, but he gritted his teeth and fought back stubbornly, creating opportunities for Ge Dalong to attack.

Ge Dalong continuously condensed ice spikes to attack the worm swarm and the giant beast. His magic power was greatly depleted, and his face was slightly pale, but his eyes were firm, and he dared not stop for a moment.

Huo Xiuxiu stood beside the stone platform, her eyes tightly closed, focusing all her attention on sensing the spiritual energy fluctuations of the crystal ball. Her bell emitted a crisp, rapid sound, echoing the light of the crystal ball. Suddenly, the crystal ball shone brightly, and a powerful pillar of energy shot into the sky, illuminating the entire valley.

Wherever the light touched, the worms seemed to be suppressed by some powerful force, their movements slowed, and some even collapsed to the ground. The giant beast also stopped its attack; it seemed to be afraid of the light and let out low roars.

Huo Xiuxiu exclaimed in surprise, "I did it! The power of this crystal ball seems to be able to temporarily control these monsters!"

Seeing this, Zhang Shi was overjoyed and shouted, "Good! Miss Huo, let's see if we can guide this power to completely annihilate them!"

Huo Xiuxiu nodded, concentrating on controlling the power of the crystal ball. The light gradually spread, forming a huge vortex of spiritual energy that swept the surrounding monsters into it. Within the vortex, the monsters' bodies were gradually disintegrated, turning into specks of light that dissipated into the air.

As the last worm disappeared, the group breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed to the ground, exhausted. But they knew the danger was not entirely over; many unknown secrets still lay hidden in this mysterious valley.

Zhang Shi stood up, looked at the crystal ball, and said, "What is the origin of this crystal ball? Why does it possess such powerful energy?"

Huo Xiuxiu walked over and said, "I don't know either, but judging from the images inside the crystal ball, it seems to be a tool used to control the number of monsters in the mist. Perhaps if we continue to explore further, we can find more clues."

Zhao Feng dusted himself off, picked up the giant axe, and said, "Whatever it is, as long as it helps us complete this mission, it's a good thing. Let's go, let's keep going!"

However, no sooner had he finished speaking than a shadow darted past and snatched the crystal ball away. The shadow was incredibly fast, and with the limited visibility in the mist, Zhang Shi couldn't even make out its form.

By the time everyone realized what was happening, the shadow had already disappeared into the mist.

Huo Xiuxiu hurriedly dispelled the fog, but the surroundings were empty, without any extra traces.

Zhao Feng slammed his fist on the ground in anger and asked Huo Xiuxiu a question.

"Is it that three-headed monster?"

Huo Xiuxiu's expression was also not good; she gritted her teeth and shook her head.

"It shouldn't be. My mark is still some distance away from here. That shadow must have used a buff skill. I can feel a slight fluctuation of magic in the air."

Ge Dalong narrowed his eyes and asked in confusion.

"You mean, that person just now was also trapped in the fog, just like us?"